Samsung Pushes OLED Complaints, Sues LG, Seeks to Kill Its Patents

With all the patent fights, and the big war between Samsung and Apple, the beginnings of new such fights no longer have much shock value, although some may disagree.

LG would probably be one of those who disagree, being the target of Samsung's new lawsuit in South Korea.

It likely isn't though, and the reason is simple: the company could not have failed to see it coming. Samsung did, after all, accuse LG of stealing OLED technology (organic light emitting diodes), and the latter was quick in suing the former too.

Yonhap News Agency now reveals that Samsung has filed a lawsuit against LG Display (an affiliate of LG Electronics Inc.) in South Korea, seeking the invalidation of seven patents, on the grounds that they “lack innovation.”

It is all a move meant to counter LG's earlier suit, which aims to stop Samsung from using OLED panels in its devices. Samsung also continues to support prior claims that LG stole and leaked its OLED technology.

LG is the second greatest supplier of mobile phones in South Korea, after Samsung Electronics, hence the rivalry.

Both want to use OLED in their phones and both want to prevent the other from doing the same, believing the technology to be their exclusive trump card.

Organic light emitting diode displays need no backlight, unlike LCDs, so they allow phones and tablets, and any other consumer electronic device, to be thinner than usual.

It is unlikely that either company will succeed in shutting the other out. Thus, the most probable outcomes are a settlement, a partial victory on Samsung's part (thus letting it make OLED phones without having to pay LG a dime) or a victory for LG (again, both get to use OLED, but Samsung would have to pay licensing fees if it uses one of the seven patents subject to scrutiny).